Posted!

Join the Conversation

Comments

Welcome to our new and improved comments, which are for subscribers only.
This is a test to see whether we can improve the experience for you.
You do not need a Facebook profile to participate.

You will need to register before adding a comment.
Typed comments will be lost if you are not logged in.

Please be polite.
It's OK to disagree with someone's ideas, but personal attacks, insults, threats, hate speech, advocating violence and other violations can result in a ban.
If you see comments in violation of our community guidelines, please report them.

Black Bears get redemption

CANTON – Madison Whitted wanted no part of another historic loss to her school’s biggest rival.

The Pisgah sophomore pitched with that kind of urgency on Tuesday.

Whitted kept Tuscola off-balance all afternoon, scattering two hits with six strikeouts and a pair of walks. The Black Bears’ bats did the rest – by the time that senior Kalei Mull popped out a solo homer in the fourth inning, it was merely insurance in an 8-1 home win.

Pisgah (14-4, 9-1) needs one more victory to clinch at least a share of the Western North Carolina Athletic Conference regular-season championship. The Black Bears are three games up on Smoky Mountain and Tuscola (11-6, 7-4), who they had beaten 15 straight times before stumbling, 5-4, on March 22 in Waynesville.

“It was great to redeem ourselves,” Whitted said.

“I think it shows how far we’ve come as a team. We’ve become close, we trust in each other like sisters.”

Leadoff Becca Rhea, Brooklyn Allen, Jordan Taylor and Whitted all had base hits in a three-run first inning. Taylor was 3-for-4. In addition to her home run, Mull had an RBI double and a walk. Allen matched Mull with two RBIs.

“The last time we played Tuscola, I thought we came out timid,” Pisgah coach Heidi Morgan said.

“It was a much better effort this time. This win puts us in a good comfort zone (in the WNCAC standings), but we can’t relax or let up.”

The Black Bears have won 10 of their 11 games since the loss at Tuscola.

Whitted looked like she might be on her way to a shutout Tuesday before the Mountaineers' Melody Hannah smashed a double off the fence. Two batters later, Ashley Welch drove in Hannah with a single.

Unfortunately for Tuscola, that was about the extent of its offense. And the team committed eight errors.

"We let (Pisgah) get the momentum early on today and we could never get it back," Mountaineers coach Tara Gibbs said.

"We'll bounce back. This loss doesn't end our season by any means. We've had some tough losses before and we were able to come back. I think we will this time, too."